Observation of Nature’s phenomena inevitably reveals great wonders. Many more, however, in the plant world, are brought to light when observation is carried out on the basis of the principle of metamorphosis, first described by Goethe. Not only is the individual plant thereby given a new dimension, but new light is thrown on the “ladder of ascent” in the plant kingdom, from seaweed and fungus to tree and flowering plant.

Absorbing both for the specialist and general reader, Gerbert Grohmann’s book ranges from detailed descriptions of single plants to a relation of the plant kingdom to the whole earth—to insect and bird, to climate and altitude, as well as to human beings. A hundred well-chosen plates and lucid diagrams admirably illustrate the author’s argument throughout the text.

Vol. 1: Contents

Section I. Looking at the Flowering Plant

1. Leaf, Root and Flower
2. Germination and Propagation
3. Leaf Metamorphosis
4. The Prototype of the Flower
5. Flowers and Insects
6. Leaf and Stem Tendencies as seen in the Flower
7. Fruits
8. Trees
9. Goethe’s Archetypal Plant

Section II. The Living Face of the Earth
10. From Pole to Equator
11. From the Lowlands to the Eternal Snows
12. Deserts and Steppes
13. The Maquis Landscape

Section III. The Threefoldness of the Plant and the Image of Man
1. The Threefoldness of the Plant and the Image of Man

Section IV. The Ladder of the Plant Kingdom
1. The Ladder of the Plant Kingdom
2. Conifers
3. Ferns, Equisetaceae and Clubmosses (Pteridophytes)
4. Ferns
5. Horsetails (Equisetaceae)
6. Algae
7. Fungi
8. Parasitic Fungi
9. Bacteria
10. Mosses and Liverworts
11. Lichens
Section V. Evolutionary Considerations
12. Evolutionary Considerations

Volume 2: Contents
1. Ranunculaceae—Buttercup Family
2. Cosmological Connections
3. Rosaceae—Rose Family
4. Leguminosae—Pea Family
5. Cruciferae—Mustard Family
6. Papaveraceae (including Fumariaceae)—Poppy Family
7. Labiatae—Mint Family
8. Liliaceae and Amaryllidaceae—Bulbous Plants
8a. The Onion, a Metamorphosis of the Lily
9. Graminaceae—Grasses and Cereals
10. Orchidaceae—Orchid Family
11. Solanaceae—Nightshade Family
12. Rubiaceae—Bedstraw Family
13. Umbelliferae—Carrot Family
14. Loranthaceae—Mistletoe
15. Conclusion